The surface of the Earth is constantly deforming, over time scales ranging from seconds to eons, and spatial scales ranging from centimeters to thousands of kilometers. This deformation fundamentally impacts human life by generating natural hazards such as earthquakes and volcanoes, as well as by modulating our natural environment and climate. The underlying cause of this deformation is convection in the Earths mantle, the large-scale circulation pattern where hot material is constantly cycled to the surface, where it cools and then sinks. In my research, I utilize seismic images of the Earths deep interior to gain a better understanding of mantle convection and its effect on Earths surface. This effort often requires collecting new seismic data in field locations ranging from the mountain peaks of far northwestern Canada, to the newly formed seafloor in the Gulf of California.
